Rifle reloading......7 mag or .243?

[lkothe]

Ok, I've been reloading the pistols for most of the year now........thinking of trying the rifle.

I have 7mm mag and .243 win in the safe...................any difference or preference on which to start learning the rifle gig??

Thanks

DNO

 

[Oklahomabassin]

Not really between those two. One is a belted case, but the steps are the same. In most presses, the .243 will give you a little more finger room than the 7 mag, but should be good with either.

 

[swampratt]

Whichever one you shoot more,
Or if one is more accurate than the other i would start with the less accurate one.
Then you have a goal to reach...make the less accurate one more accurate.

100 yard groups do not count..200+ yards for starters
Many times both of my pencil barrel guns(mossberg 100atr in 243 and 30-06) have out shot my savage 10fp .308 with the fat barrel and accutrigger.
Got to love handloading and trying new loads..
The 243 will cost less to load due to less powder used.

 

[Okie4570]

Whichever one you shoot more,
Or if one is more accurate than the other i would start with the less accurate one.
Then you have a goal to reach...make the less accurate one more accurate.

100 yard groups do not count..200+ yards for starters
Many times both of my pencil barrel guns(mossberg 100atr in 243 and 30-06) have out shot my savage 10fp .308 with the fat barrel and accutrigger.
Got to love handloading and trying new loads..
The 243 will cost less to load due to less powder used.

But he'll shoot it twice as much, it's a wash!

 

[Blitzfike]

If you shoot the belted magnums much at higher pressures, the case will stretch just above the belt. After 4 or 5 loadings, the cases will start to be difficult to chamber. There is a die that is made specifically to return the case to original dimensions with regard to the belt. I load and shoot 5 different belted magnums and some of them are pretty warm loads to achieve what I want them to do. I bought the die and used it to recover those cases that had swollen too much to chamber easily. Here is a link to it.
http://www.larrywillis.com/ it is about the third item on the page if I remember correctly. It won't do anything about enlarged primer pockets, but if you are experiencing that, you are definitely too hot. This die also lets you use brass from another rifle without any problems.

 

[Okie4570]

That's a pretty interesting find Blitzfike, thanks for sharing. Could use one of those for my 30-378. Noticed they don't make any for the .416 Rigby( yes I know the Rigby doesn't have a belt ) based cartridges.

 

[lkothe]

Well honestly I haven't shot either in probably 10-13 years. Bow hunting then duck hunting along with work...just never found the time to scout for deer and never shot just to punch holes.
Why do 100 yd groups not count in your book Swamprat?

DNO

 

[turkeyrun]

The savings and bullet selection make the mag a great candidate. But seriously, do both.

 

[swampratt]

Long answer for this question.
Why do 100 yd groups not count in your book Swamprat?

Well my hunting has now grown to some large area's on wildlife department lands the deer are spooked most of the time and not really due to hunter pressure.. it could be the hogs and coyotes . But many of my shots are now well past 100 yards.

300-400 is about how far across the fields it is. Then there are 800-1500 yard pipelines.
I used to work up my loads at 100 yards, most shooting was thick brush and small area's.
When i aimed behind the shoulder on a deer at just under 200 yards with a load i had built for my savage 10fp in .308 and hit that deer in the lower neck area i was like WHAT just happened.
That load would shoot .378" at 100 yards and never larger than .500" groups from a clean or fouled barrel.

Deer dropped dead instantly but not where i was aiming.. then a second deer and another missed area.

I decided to check the scope and load...it was right on the money at 100 then i shot it at 200.. WOW! can't keep it on a paper plate. all shots look like fliers.
That is when i decided i need to shoot groups at the ranges i will be shooting at.
Now i have some that group in the .5" to .7" at 100 yards with that gun but they stay .8" at 220 yards and i have got touching bullet holes at 300 yards , but groups at just about 1.25" at that range.
Although it is not the best 100 yard load it is the load that stays together at distance..

I think i basically found the OCW Optimum charge weight

Same thing happened with my 243 rifle my best 100 yard is not any good at longer ranges.
My 30-30 winchester and 30-06 do not act like that though.
I have taken deer many times past 250 yards with the 30-30 and a 150gr flat nose that moves about 2200fps
Longest kill was 345 yards with that load. Double lunged.
I have that 30-30 zeroed at 250 yards.

Now think about that 30-30 slow poke gun.. and then step up to a .308 or 243 or 7mag! I would want to take advantage of the power each gun has..
So having a gun that can shoot and kill clean with the right placed shot at long ranges then why work loads at 100 yards.

Not saying the 100 yard load will fall apart but it may ... just check it.. for your sake and the animal you shoot at.

And for newbies shooting at 100 yards does not prepare you for those 300 yard shots...And all those trajectory calculators can be tossed out the window ....I say this because my freak 30-06 shoots dead on at 100 and no drop at 200 and have shot at 300 a couple times on paper and it drops 1.5"..2900fps 150gr at .338BC does not compute..
Just saying.

Could be the head wind lifting my bullet or something..very strange shooting gun.

 

[lkothe]

Gotcha....understandable.
Guess I'll have to find a longer spot to shoot.



DNO